(Anser albifrons gambeli)
The white-fronted goose, or speckle-breast as it is commonly called,
is quite common on the Coast south to Mexico, where great numbers
congregate on Lake Chapala, Jalisco. This is another western species,
though ranging to some extent as far east as the Mississippi valley
and an occasional flock wanders even to the Atlantic coast. The
breasts of the old birds are commonly profusely speckled with black
feathers. The white-fronted goose is a little more exclusive in its
habits than any of the others named, being generally found in flocks
by themselves. As a table bird the meat is quite palatable, and large
numbers are sold in the markets.
=Color=--Head, grayish brown, with a white spot at the junction of the
bill, but this is absent from the young birds; neck, lighter, shading
into white or dull white on the breast, mottled with black; back, ashy
gray, edged with brown; shafts of the quills, white; bill and legs,
light pink.
=Nest and Eggs=--The nest is usually well made and lined with feathers
and down. The eggs number about seven or eight, and are of a pale
greenish white.
=Measurements=--Wing, 16 inches; bill, 2 inches.
[Illustration: EMPEROR GOOSE (Philacte canagica)]